Apparatus for and method of cutting spiral grooves in grooved rolls



Feb. 25, 1947. w. T. FIELDS ETAL A 2,416,296

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CUTTING SPIRAL GRQOVES IN GROOVED ROLLS Filed Jan. 13, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3 FIG. 1. f 4

I INVENTORS:

MAL/4M T 05405 400 [0605 M0. #5 040,

r A? arrow [x Feb. 25, 1947. w. T. FIELDS ET AL 2,416,296

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CUTTING .SPIRAL GROOVES IN GROOVED ROLLS Filed Jan. 1.5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TOR5.

P I E INVEN 05 06 4 1? M0. HEEOAQ 7 xmmem k FIE- Patented Feb. 25, 1947 APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF CUTTING SPIRAL GROOVES IN GROOVED ROLLS William T. Fields. Pittsburgh, and Edgar M. D. Herold, Duquesne, Pa.

Application January 13, 1943, Serial No. 472,264

4 Claims. (o1.'90 11.42)

This invention relates to rolling mill rolls and, particularly, to an improved apparatus for and method of cutting spiral grooves in the grooves of rolling mill rolls.

For the purpose of reinforcing concrete, it is customary to use reinforcing bars or rods which are imbedded in the concrete. It is desirable that such rods and bars have lugs, ribs, offsets, etc. formed on the surface thereof so that they will be more effective in their use and they are usually rolled to shape by means of a rolling mill. To produce such reinforcing rods and bars in a rolling mill, it will be seen that it is not only necessary to provide rolls having grooves arranged around the periphery thereof in order to form the roll passes but it is also necessary that proper shapes be formed in the grooves of the roll in order to form the desired lugs, ribs, or other configurations on the finished reinforcing rods and bars.

It has been found that a cylindrical bar or rod having radially extending double spiral lugs arranged throughout the length thereof with such lugs being bisected by diametrically opposed longitudinally extending ribs, extending throughout the length of the bar, i. e., two longitudinally extending ribs with one arranged on either side of the bar, is most desirable for the purpose of reinforcing concrete and it is to a roll for rolling such bars or rods that the present invention relates.

In order to produce a reinforcing bar or rod having such double spiral lugs arranged thereon continuously by rolling in a rollingmill, it will be readily apparent that it is necessary that there be formed in the grooves of the rolls of the mill, a plurality of double spiral grooves in the periphery of the grooves with such spiral grooves being spaced equi-distant apart. Heretofore, it has not been possible to out such spiral grooves in the grooves of the rolling mill rolls by means of a conventional type milling machine or by any other known machine. It will be seen that it would be impractical to out such spiral grooves in the roll by hand as such procedure would be laborious as Well as expensive, and considering the life of such a roll would be prohibitive.

' Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for and method of cutting spiral groovesin the grooves of rollin mill rolls which are efficient and effective in their use, so as to provide rolls which will form effectively the desired'lugs on the finished reinforcing bar or rod, product.

It is another object of the invention to pro- 2 vide an improved apparatus for and methodof cutting spiral grooves in the grooves of rolling mill rolls in a simple and inexpensive manner, and,-by which, the spiral grooves can be cut in the roll in a minimum amount of time with the least amount of effort.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide an improved method of cutting spiral grooves in the grooves of rolling mill rolls mechanically by means of a conventional type'milling machine with which my improved apparatus may be readily incorporated.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown, for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which our invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved apparatus which may be employed for carrying out the method of our invention and which is incorporated with a conventional type milling machine;

Figure 2 is a, front elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the same;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a portion of one of the grooves in a roll showing the initial cutting of double spiral grooves in the groove of the roll;

Figure 5 is a plan view similar to Figure 4 showing the double spiral grooves cut in the groove of a roll after the cutting operation has been completed;

Figure 6 is an end view of the cutter showing double spiral grooves bein cut in the groove of a roll;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section through the opposed grooves which form the roll pass of apair of rolls showing the spiral grooves formed therein;

Figure 8 is a plan view of a portion of a reinforcing bar or rod adapted to beformed by passing through the groove or roll pass of the rolls as shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a portion of a reinforcing bar or rod as shown in Figure 8 with the bar turned degrees from the position as shown therein; and

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on line XX of Figure 8. v

Referring more particularly to the drawings, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 thereof, apparatus for carrying out our invention is shown incorporated with a conventional type milling machine com- I prising a base 2, a vertical column 3, and an adjustable table :8 which is adapted to support the work-piece. There is carried by the column 3,

According to the present invention, there 'is arranged to one side of the arbor 5 of the milling machine, a horizontally extending shaft 8 which .1 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the axis 1 of the arbor. The shaft 8 is-journaled inaibracket member 9 mounted on the c0lumn3 of the milling j machine and on the inner ,end of -the shaft there is positioned a bevel gear I!) which meshes with a similar bevel gear i2 securely .mounted on the arbor 5. At the opposite end ofthe shafta-there is arranged a conventional type gear reducer-I13 having trunnions' i4 by'which it is rotatably supported. The trunnions are journaledinthe.upper end'of atrunnion stand 15 whichis' positioned on I the floor to oneside of the milling machine. One

of the shafts 16 of the gear .re'ducer .113 .is con- .nected to the outerendof thershaftfs preferably 3 bracket member lfi preferably.having .a floating bearing element l.9-carried thereby. .Thebracket 3 1 8 is preferably bolted to the top of .the table t and so arranged that it may .be loosened there- -fr0m:so that-the bracket may be adjusted ,endwise of the table for a purpose hereinafter tolbe described. There'is arranged .through .the bearing element [9, preferably.asquareshaft 2B which extends substantially parallel to the shaft {8. On .the-outer-end of the shaft 29, there .is movably arranged -a bevel gear 2.! which .meshes witha similar bevel gear 22 disposedon-theouter.end of the slow speed shaft 23 .of the speed reducer 13. There :-is mountedon :the outer side .of .the float- .ing bearing element i9; preferably a bearing .24 .which acts asa -journa'l' forrthe shaft23'of the gear reducer so as to absorb any thrust transmitted thereto from the-action of the bevelgear 22. .The

gear :22 isgpreventedfromrotating on the shaft-23, preferably by means of splines'which permit the shaft to'move endwise through the :bevehgear .22. To prevent undue rotationofthe gear reducer [3, there is provided preferably :a striking plate or stops '25 which are disposed on each sideofthe .standlE and preferably attached to the'baseof the gear reducer, as shown in Figures-landfipf the drawings.

Onthe inner -endof the square shaft 20,:there is arranged preferably a wabbler or coupling 25 which is adapted to fitiover and around the ,end .of' thework-roHadapted to-bemachined in a well :known manner. .FIhere-isialso mountediontoprof the table 4 of the milling machine, a pair of spaced apart bearingmembers .21 in which the-necks 23 of a 'roll -2'9:are journaled so that the axis of the roll is disposed substantially perpendicular to the axis of the arbor 5 of the :milling machine. The bearing :members 2-1 .are held -in position on the top'o'f :the table 'dpreferably by means of zboltS extending into the table.

By providing such an arrangement, .it will be seen'ithatVup,on:rotation of the arbor:fiqofthermillh ing machine the roll 29 will be rotated .by the action of the ibevehgears :Hi and 42, the shaft 8, theggearreducer 1.3 the :bevel gearsIZ-E and22,,the .shaft '20 :and :the "coupling .1or wabbler 22.5.

it will :be understood that .theabovedescribed apparatus is provided primarily for cutting spiral 4 grooves in the grooves of a rolling mill roll. Such a roll is shown positioned in the milling machine in position to be machined and there is arranged circumferentially around the periphery thereof, in side by side relation, a plurality of semi-circular shaped grooves 38 which are adapted to provide .roll passes for the product .to be formed when :therolls are mounted in a rolling mill in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. In order to cut a plurality of spiral grooves in the grooves 39 of the roll, there is mounted on the arbor 5 of the milling machine, a cutter 31 which is adapted, of course, to be rotated with the arbor. If it is desired to cut double spiral grooves in the periphery of the grooves 30, as in the present instance, there is provided a cutter having two substantially radial teeth 32 which are spaced degreesapart, i. e., diametricall opposed. It will be understood that if :single spiral grooves are adapted tobe cutin the grooves of .the roll, acutterhaving one'tooth is used and'ifit'is desired to cut triple spiral grooves in'theroll grooves, acutter having'three'teeth isused. v

As shown in the drawings the cutter teeth '32 have transverse cutting profiles corresponding to the cross-section of thespiral grooves 35 to be cut thereby, and have a constant maximum radius eoual to that of said spiral grooves.

It will be understood that the "roll 29 to, be worked'upon is circumferentially;grooved as at 30 prior to'the formation of the spiralzgrooves thereon by means of the present apparatus. "The groovedwork roll '29 is mounted-on the bearings 27 on top-of the work-table 4 of the milling machine so that one of thegrooves 3?! in the roll is positioned below the cutter 3!, as shown in Figures '1 and 2 of the drawings. The coupling or wabber Winn the end of the shaft'zil'is then'posi- 'tioned'over the 'end of'the roll and the bracketlB ,is properly adjusted on the table-4 andsecuredin place on thetable. The-milling machine is then set in operation and'upon rotation of the'arbor 15 together withthe cutter 3i carried'thereby, the work roll 29 will lie-rotated by the apparatus of our invention in a manner hereinbefore described. The tables-together with the work roll 29 carried thereby, is then moved upwardly by means or the usual screw adjustment 38 provided on such millin -machines, the proper distance in-order that the teeth 32 of "the cutter 3i will make the proper initial cut in the periphery of the groove 30 being cut, asshcwn in Figure 4 of the drawings. It will :be seen .that if atwotooth cutter is used, as in the present instance, that the teeth will cut double spiral grooves 36 in the groove 30 of the roll upon Z ,This procedure is followed until the spiral grooves 35 are cut to the desired depth in the groove of the roll, as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. After the spiralgrooves-ifi have beencut in one of the ,groovesiof the Inuit will be understood that the .neXt groove and. each succeeding groove thereaiteris disposed'below the cutters! and the spiral grooves 3.6 out thereon until all of the rooves as have spiralgrooves stormed therein of .the workroll. .In order .to -dispose the respective grooves 30 below the cutter 3!, th table 4 of the milling machine is moved to the right or left as the case may be. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the table is moved to the right and in so doin the square shaft 20 will be moved through the floating bearing element l9 and the bevel gear 2| so that the bevel gears 2| and 22 are at all times meshed with each other.

As has been herebefore explained, the arbor 5 together with the cutter 3| revolves in a plane parallel to the axis of the work roll 29 and, at the same time, the work roll is rotated-by the arbor at a predetermined ratio to that of the rotating cutter. In order for the cutter 3| to follow in the same spiral groove on the second and each succeeding revolution of the roll, it will be seen that the speeds of the cutter and the roll must be synchronized. To produce a continuous double spiral groove cut in the roll groove, it is necessary to use a speed reduction ratio so that the circumference of the roll is an exact multiple of twice the distance between the spiral grooves. In such case of a two tooth cutter, this ratio is based on the following formula:

Diameter 1r 2 X S equals the ratio of the cutter to the R. P. M. of

.the roll, wherein, S is the space between the double spiral grooves and the diameter is that of the outside diameter of the work roll. By revolving the roll at the above ratio with reference to the revolution of the cutter, it will be seen that the spiral grooves are cut gradually deeper upon each revolution of the roll.

It had been found that in cutting spiral grooves in the grooves of two newly sized work rolls, namely, 12%; inches and inches in diameter, so as to roll eight sizes of reinforcing bars from of an inch to 1% inches in diameter, that the reduction ratio varies from 88 to 1 maximum, to 44 to 1 minimum. Thus a reduction gear having a. 44 to 1 ratio combined with a variable speed reducer with the range of from 1 to 1 to 2 to 1 may be used to produce any ratio between 44 to 1 and 88 to 1. An alternate means for obtaining such a ratio requires four sets of bevel gears to provide a 2 to 1 ratio with suitable steps combined with a 44 to 1 reduction gear. A second alternate method for obtaining such a ratio is to use a spur gear or a combination spur and bevel gears.

It will be understood that after the spiral grooves 35 have been out in the groves 30 of the work rolls, by means of the apparatus of the present invention, that the rolls 29 are then assembled in a rolling mill in a manner shown in Figure '7 of the drawings, with the grooves disposed opposite each other so as to provide a roll pass for the reinforcing bars between the rolls. The bars are then passed through the roll passes of the rolls and a finished reinforcing bar 31 is provided, as shown in Figures 8 through 10 of the drawings. There is formed on such a reinforcing bar by the rolls 29, a plurality of double spiral lugs 33 which are spaced equi-distant apart throughout the length of the bar. It will be seen that there is also formed on the reinforcing bar 31, a pair of longitudinally extending ribs 34 which bisect the spiral grooves 36. In other words, there is formed two longitudinally extending ribs with one positioned to the either side of the bar, 1. e. diametrically opposed. In order to form such a longitudinally extending rib 34 on each side of the reinforcing bar, it will be understood that the outer edges of each of the grooves 30 in the work roll 29 are relieved or cut away as at 35, as shown in Figures 6 and '7 of the drawings. To provide such aconstruction, it will be seen that the ends of the spiral grooves 36 terminate at the relieved portions 35 and do not extend to-the outer surface of the roll.

While we have shown and described one specific embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of our invention, as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. The herein described method of cutting spiral grooves in a substantially semi-circular peripheral groove of a rolling mill roll or the like, consisting in rotating a cutter of constant maximum radius equal to that of the desired spiral grooves, rotating the roll at a predetermined speed ratio with respect to the rotation of the cutter, said speed ratio being such that the number of revolutions of the cutter for each revolution of the roll is equal to the number of grooves around the periphery of the roll divided by the number of spirals, positioning the cutter transversely of the peripheral roll groove in a radial plane of the roll and with the center of said cutter in the central plane of said roll groove, and relatively moving the cutter and roll to feed the cutter in said radial and central planes until the resulting spiral grooves are cut to the desired depth throughout the transverse extent thereof.

2. Apparatus for cutting spiral grooves in a substantially semi-circular peripheral groove of a rolling mill roll or the like including means for rotatably supporting the roll, a substantially radial cutter rotatable in a plane transversely of and centrally with respect to the peripheral groove in said roll, said cutter having a transverse cutting profile corresponding to the crosssection of the spiral grooves to be cut thereby and a constant maximum radius equal to the maximum radius of said spiral grooves, means for rotating the roll and cutter at a predetermined constant speed ratio, said speedratio being such that the number of revolutions of the cutter for each revolution of the roll is equal to the number of grooves around the periphery of the roll divided by the number of spirals, and means for effecting relative movement between the cutter and roll radially of the latter.

3. Apparatus for cutting spiral grooves in a substantially semi-circular peripheral groove of a rollin mill roll or the like including means for rotatably supporting the roll horizontally, a horizontal cutter arbor rotatably supported transversely of the roll and centrally with respect to the roll groove, a substantially radial cutter on the arbor having a transverse cutting profile corresponding to the cross-section of the spiral grooves to be cut thereby and a constant maximum radius equal to the maximum radius of said spiral grooves, means for rotating the roll and arbor at a predetermined constant speed ratio, said speed ratio being such that the number of revolutions of the cutter for each revolution of the roll is equal to the number of grooves around the periphery of the roll divided by the number of spirals, and means for efiecting relative vertical movement between the roll and arbor.

4. Apparatus for cutting multiple spiral grooves in a substantially semi-circular peripheral groove of a rolling mill roll or the like including means for rotatably supporting the roll horizontally, a horizontal cutter arbor rotatably supported transversely of the roll and centrally with respect to the roll groove, 2, toothed cutter on the arbor having a transverse cutting profile corresponding to the cross-section of the spiral grooves to be'cut thereby and a constant maximum radius equal to the maximum radius of said spiral grooves, said cutter being axially stationary during operation thereof, means for rotating the roll. and arbor at a predetermined constant speed ration, said speed ratio being such that the number of revolutions of the cutter for each revolution of the roll is equal to the number of grooves around the periphery of the roll divided bythe number of spirals, and means for effecting relative vertical movement between the roll and arbor, said cutter having a plurality of equally spaced radial cutting teeth disposed in the same plane transversely of the axis of said arbor.

WILLIAM T. FIELDS. EDGAR M. D. HEROLD.

8 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

